"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." 
–Winnie the Pooh

One of my favorite events of each school year is the whole school end-of-year assembly. All students, staff, many alumni, parents and other family members come together to celebrate. Of course we celebrate the coming of summer holiday, but we also celebrate the AAS community. Afterall, a celebration is only as good as the community that is celebrating. The AAS community is truly something special. It is so special that former students, staff members, and families come from all over the world each year to join the end-of-year assembly. Most schools have an end-of-year assembly, but I don’t know of any other schools that have something quite like AAS’s.

The last day of school can also be difficult. Yesterday, a 4th grade student told me she was unhappy that the summer was coming simply because she likes being at school, and will miss it. There are also many goodbyes as students and staff leave AAS for different parts of the world. There were tears yesterday, and many more today. Tears are part of the celebration too. Sadness that a school year is ending or a friend is leaving is a celebration of the great times you’ve had. It is a small world, and goodbye isn’t really goodbye anymore.

For those of you who are leaving AAS, thank you for making the 2024-25 school year an excellent one, and thank you for making the community stronger. You are always part of the AAS community, and I hope to see you at a future end-of-year assembly (or anytime back on campus). 

For everyone, I wish you the best for an exciting and relaxing summer with family and friends.

“Always be yourself. Unless you can be a unicorn, then always be a unicorn.”
–Anonymous